Nathair Mór
by jelloqueen1998
Summary: ADOPTED FROM BLACK.MASK0.1- When Merlin is bitten by a magical snake during a hunting trip, Arthur has to rush Merlin to Camelot before it's too late. But Merlin begins to go through a weird transformation of body, mind, and magic. Will Merlin, with his magic, be able to stop these changes before it's too late? What will Arthur do? And who is this mad sorceress behind it all?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Jelloqueen here! I adopted this story from 0.1 and im changing it up a little bit. Hope you like it!**

"Why are we out on a hunting trip for the second time this month!" "Don't you have kingly duties to attend to?" Merlin complained as he and Arthur made their way through the forest. Truth be told, Merlin didn't mind hunting on this occasion. Arthur really did need time to wind down. After Mordred betrayed him his mood had be sharp with everyone. Even at Gwen, his own wife and that was something that had to be dealt with before Elyan decides to deal with the king himself.

"For you information, _Merlin_, Gwen gave me some time off to relax a bit. But with you along it seems I will be getting none of that." The young king replied hotly, even though he really was grateful for Merlin and his company. Some time it seemed as if Merlin was the only one he could trust. Even his own wife had betrayed him with Lancelot. Arthur signaled for merlin to stop his horse.

"Merlin get me my crossbow.' He whispered as he eased himself down from his horse. Merlin hopped down from his saddle and began rummaging through the hunting gear. "Any time in the next year would be nice!" He hissed for under his breath. Merlin eventually managed to get the crossbow. After giving Arthur the crossbow he hastily made his way over to the horses and tied them up them up to the nearest tree. Slowly, he and Arthur made their way across the forest until Arthur spotted a rather large stag. Merlin was just glad it wasn't a little fuzzy bunny. As Arthur was aiming his shot, he failed to realize a long scaly snake was only a few feet away.

The large snake had sensed power full magic in the aurora of the forest. Something so pure that it could only come from a true raw magic. This was just the thing she needed to save her once noble race. She carefully slither her way behind the two men. _"The dark haired one is the sorcerer you seek,"_ the familiar voice of her mistress called. She rose up to her full height (at least two men tall) and gave out a loud hiss.

Merlin turned around to see a gigantic snake at least the size of two grown men. It gave out a large hiss before lunging and latching on to Merlin's neck.

"ARTHUR!" Merlin cried out as the snake bit in to his neck. Arthur spun around and drew his sword. He began to slice at the creature's neck. _"Enough! The curse has been set. Return!" _the voice called to her again. It detached from Merlin's neck and gave out a cry of vicory before it slithered away. But the damage was done. Merlin fell to his knees and attempted to stand but fell forward unable to find any strength. Arthur ran forward to catch his falling friend. Merlin looked awful. Two deep puncture wounds oozing a green slime and a large amount of blood adorned his pale neck. Luckily, the beast had missed Merlin's jugular so he wasn't bleeding to death, but blood loss was still a major issue.

Arthur checked to make sure merlin had a pulse. He let out a relieved sigh when he felt his heart beating steadily underneath his fingertips. He picked up Merlin and tied him to his horse. After applying some salve and attempting to wrap bandages around his neck to stem the bleeding, he pulled himself up on to the saddle.

"Why do you have to be such an idiot, Merlin." He mumbled to the unconscious Merin, secretly praying his friend was going to be alright.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Merlin was aware of was pain. The second thing was that he was moving and that someone was carrying him. After a surprising amount of effort, he cracked opened his eyes. Luckily, it was dark, but the pale light of the moon was still enough to make him moan from the headache it gave him. "Merlin, are you awake?" _Arthur?_, he thought. _Wait-why am I on his horse? _"Ar-tur," he tried to say, but he just couldn't seem to form the words through the pain. It was like someone was roasting him from the inside.

"Shhhh, Merlin. Be quiet for once in your life. We'll be in Camelot in a few hours. How are you feeling?" Merlin rolled his head to glance at Arthur and gave him a look that said, "_Are you seriously asking me that question?"_ He seemed to have gotten the message. "You're right. Dumb question. Go back to sleep. Gauis says rest is the best way for the body to heal." Merlin rolled his head forward again and quickly fell asleep.

To tell you the truth, Arthur was worried. Merlin looked half-dead. He was as pale as a sheet, but had a grey tint to his skin and bluish lips. He was shivering but so hot, Arthur could feel the heat through his chainmail. The worst part was the snake bite. The bleeding had slowed down, but the bandages were covered in green ooze and puss. The skin that could be seen was red and blistering.

"Hold on, old friend," he whispered as he pushed his horse harder, Merlin's horse doing the same beside them. Around midnight, they reached the gates of Camelot. The guards recognized him immediately. "Sire!" They stood to attention. "We were not expecting you 'till tomorrow afternoon." "Go tell Gauis to get ready. Merlin was injured." One of the guards nodded and ran through the square and to the physician's chambers.

The others helped Arthur get Merlin off the horse without jostling him too much. Durng the ride, he seemed to have gotten worse. His skin looked almost grey in the dim light and he was mumbling incoherent words under his breath. His breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps and his heart rate was quick and erratic. "You," he said, pointing to one of the guards. "Pick him up and follow me to the physician's chambers. Be careful and quick. We have no time to spare."

He nodded and carefully picked up the gangly manservant easily. They quickly walked through the castle, across the courtyard, and to the stairs leading to the physician's chambers. Half way up the stairs, Merlin started to jerk and spasm, making the guard almost slip. Luckily, Arthur was able to catch them.

Merlin's seizure began to get worse and worse, and he started to foam at the mouth. "Merlin!" said Arthur. He looked at the stunned guard staring at Merlin on the ground. "Don't just stand there! Help me get him up the stairs!" The guard shook out of his reverie and tried to grab Merlin from underneath his armpit. Arthur did the same on the left side.

Together, they drug the spastic Merlin up the stairs and saw a very anxious guard and worried Gauis waiting in the door way. When they reached the top, Merlin stopped seizing…and breathing. "Quickly, onto the table!" Arthur cleared the table and they laid Merlin on it gently.

As the physician quickly examined his ward, Arthur, though emotionless (but maybe a little concerned) on the outside, was praying with all of his might on the inside. _Please don't let him die. Please don't let him die, don't let him die. He can't leave me. He. Will. Not. Die._

"Sire!" Gauis exclaimed, breaking Arthur out of his trance. "He's heart's not beating."

**A/N: I know, I know! But I LOVE dramatic endings! Im on break so I'll update very soon (probably tomorrow) Please comment or favorite!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Arthur! I need you to do compressions to restart the heart," said Gauis, going into 'doctor mode', as Arthur called it. "Do you remember from the emergency training I gave the knights?" He nodded and ran over to Merlin. He placed his palms on the left side of Merlin's body and began doing hard, fast compressions to the beat of his own, frantic heart.

While he was doing this, Gauis began to fix a bright red potion from leaves, mushrooms, and some sort of clear, thick liquid. Arthur looked back at Merlin's sullen face. He hasn't been breathing for about two minutes and the compressions didn't seem to be helping anything. "It's not working!" he yelled to Gauis. "Do it harder! I we don't it beating soon, he'll…" Arthur didn't even need to hear the rest of that sentence.

Fueled by rage and the determination to not let his friend die, he pushed harder, and harder, and harder until he heard a loud crack from Merlin's ribs. But he didn't stop. He knew if he broke a rib, he was doing it right. He continued until, finally, Merlin's back arched off the bed and he took a huge breath.

When he landed back on the cot, his breathing got shallower and shorter, but at least he was breathing. "Thank God!" Arthur exclaimed, running a weary hand through his dirty hair. He was about to pass out from relief, and Gauis looked about the same. But their work wasn't finished. Now that Merlin was out of immediate danger and the guards had been dismissed, Arthur could tell Gauis what happened.

"I'm not exactly sure what happened," he began as Gauis began to remove the bandages from Merlin's neck. It looked worse than what Arthur had thought. In the center of the wound were two huge puncture wounds oozing the green stuff, puss, and the bleeding had increased again. The skin around looked like it had been decorated with black spider webs that were slowly spreading and the rest was red and blistering. Arthur had to turn away while he finished the rest of the story.

"We were out in the Darkling woods hunting a large stag. When we got within range, Merlin handed me my crossbow and I got into position. I was just about to shoot when I heard Merlin scream for me. I turned around and saw this huge, black snake with beady red eyes biting into Merlin's neck. I-I tried to cut off its head, but it was like hitting stone. Finally, the beast dropped Merlin and went away. Then I bandaged Merlin and brought him here."

Arthur was unsure of what to do as Gauis continued to work in silence. He cleaned the wound, put something on it to help the infection, and re-bandaged his neck. He propped Merlin up on a pillow so he could wrap his broken ribs, then put him back in a more comfortable position. Afterwards, he took out the potion he made earlier and handed it to Arthur. The young King looked at Gauis questionably.

"It's to help with the cut." "What cut?" Gauis sighed. "On your arm, my boy. You were so busy taking care of Merlin you didn't notice your own injury. You should be more alert," he scolded fondly. Gauis was very grateful to Arthur for saving his ward's life and even more proud of the man he'd become. "I will," Arthur replied. "Do we know what attacked us? And more importantly, why did it go after Merlin? It hardly paid me any attention." Gauis paused for a few moments and thought.

"I haven't an idea as to what it is. I will talk to Geoffrey in the morning. You should go get some rest, my lord." "What about Merlin?" Gauis shooed him towards the door. "He'll be fine. I'll keep an eye on him. If anything changes, I'll send someone to fetch you. Now go." Arthur walked to the door and opened it, but he hesitated.

"Gauis?" The old physician sighed exasperatingly. "Yes?" "Will he be alright?" He looked at the pained, white face of his ward sadly. "If there's one thing I know about Merlin is that he will never stop fighting. He has gone through so much in his short life, but he always bounces back with a smile. We will make it through this."

Arthur nodded appreciatively and continued out the door. Once the door was closed, the Gauis sunk into the nearest chair and grabbed Merlin's pale, trembling hand and pulled up the blanket to his chin. He was tossing and turning as if in a nightmare, and was sweating profusely. "Oh my boy. Why does this have to happen to you?"

And for the first time in years, Gauis cried. He cried for the pain his poor, young ward was going through. He cried out of anger at the terrible beast that had caused all of this. He cried out of guilt for not being able to get to Merlin sooner. And most of all, he cried out of pure sadness because of the crushing weight of the destiny placed upon Merlin since the time he was born. _Out of everyone in the entire land of Albion, why Merlin? What had he done to deserve such a fate? _

**A/N: I just want to thank my first reviewer MusicChannySkyscraper and those who followed my story. I REALLY hoped you enjoyed the chapter! The next couple of chapters will be recovering and then we'll get to the interesting part. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow, what happened? My…everything is throbbing! Did I go to the tavern with Gwaine or something last night?_ he thought as he slowly began to regain consciousness. The closer he got to being awake, the more intense the pain was, especially in his neck and rib cage. Then, he heard voices, although they were very muffled as if he was listening through a towel. Slowly, they got clearer and clearer until he could decipher them.

"What's the matter with him? He's been asleep for nearly 4 days!" _Arthur? What is he doing here? _"The venom is taking a heavy toll on his immune system, so a lot of sleep was expected. But you are right. He should've woken up already." _Is that Gauis? Why does he sound so worried? Why isn't 'who' waking up? _

"It's just that Gwen is really worried about him. She was so upset when she came by yesterday and he wasn't awake. Have you found out what bit him yet?" There was the sound of a creaking chair and the shuffling of shoes. Then Merlin heard a familiar sound: the one of an old tome being opened. "I did some research, and, from what you told me, I believe it to be a _nathair mór_."

Even though he didn't know what it was, Merlin felt his magic go cold for a moment, making his subconscious-self shiver. It must be really bad for it to have that effect on the young warlock. "It is a type of beast from the Old Religion that can be summoned by the High Priestesses to put curses on their enemies. It says here that if the victim survives, he will go through a series of slow transformations that might make him go insane."

"Well, how do we cure it?" Arthur asked. "There is no known cure," Gauis replied. Arthur sighed. "Then what kind of 'transformations' will he have to go through?" "Again, it doesn't say. I don't think anyone has ever survived to the transformations before." "How is he still alive then? Shouldn't he be dead?" "He is a lot stronger than he looks, Sire. Besides, maybe whoever sent the beast didn't want to kill him." "Are you saying the snake biting Merlin was an accident?"

_The snake biting me? What are they-oh. _Suddenly, he remembered all the events of the past week. The hunting trip, the creature, Arthur taking him to Camelot...Wait- was he cursed then? Was he _dying_? He heard the book being closed. "No. Somebody meant to do this. Why, who, or why, I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see." Merlin couldn't hold onto consciousness anymore. As he sunk into the comforting darkness, he thought about what he had just heard and about what would happen to him in the following weeks.

~MERLIN~

_"Mistress! They suspect us. We should be more careful. What if-" _"Calm down, my pet," the darkly garbed women said, petting the beast's head softly. "It is all going exactly according to plan. Emrys will never know what hit him.

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone again for reading this! Sorry this chapter is short. Im gonna try to write another later today. I'm on Spring Break this week so I should get really far in the story. Oh and before I forget, should I have the knights and Gwen as major roles? Im fine both ways, I just want to know what you guys think. Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

The next time Merlin began to wake, he was determined to open his eyes. He had no idea how much time he had been asleep for, but it was far too long for his liking. _As he was drifting towards the surface of his consciousness, he was able to hear again. He heard the crackling of a fire and the pages of a heavy book being turned, common noises in the physician's chambers that Merlin_ had come to know as home. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he was able to open his eyes.

He immediately wished he hadn't. A blinding pain in his head made him screw his eye shut again. He gave himself a few seconds to readjust to his surroundings. He became aware of a more pain, but it was less severe than the last time he had awoken. _"I must be getting better! Maybe Gauis had the creature wrong. Maybe I'm not cursed!" _he thought cheerfully, but little did he know that his body was just become accustomed to the venom coursing through his veins: the first step to the transformation.

After a minute or so, he was able to squint. It was still pretty unfocused, but he saw Gauis sitting on his workbench reading a book about herbs with magical properties. "G-Gau-is?" he stuttered because of the misuse of his voice for who knows how long. The physician quickly turned his head to look at his ward. "Merlin!" he said, relief clearly evident in his voice. "W-wa-t-ter." Gauis quickly went over to the water bucket and filled up a goblet. "Of course, my boy." He handed Merlin the cup, which the warlock quickly grabbed and drained the contents of in seconds. After two more cups, he leaned back and got himself into a more comfortable position.

"Is that better?" "A lot better, thank you. What happened, Gauis?" The old man seemed to have aged five years in a second. "You were bitten by a nathair mór, a creature of the old religion." Merlin waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, I heard you and Arthur talking about it earlier, but I feel fine! See? I'm not dying, and I certainly don't look_ or _feel any different. Maybe you were mistaken." He shook his head sadly. "I don't think so." "Maybe my magic fought it off?"

Gauis scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps. How did you hear my and Arthur's conversation? I wasn't aware that you were awake." Merlin shrugged. "I wasn't really awake. I mean- I didn't open my eyes. My subconscious just sort of listened to what was going on. Wait- I've been asleep for four days?! Why didn't you wake me?"

Gauis crossed his arms with his eyebrow raised impossibly high. _I need to learn how to do that, _Merlin thought idly. "You needed the rest! Besides, I had that conversation two days ago. You've been asleep for nearly a week. You had everyone very worried, especially the King and Queen." _Arthur was worried about me? Wow, I must have looked awful._ Gauis must have read his mind or something, because he said, "The young King relies on you a lot, not only as a servant, but as a friend as well. Don't forget that."

That sat in silence for a moment before Gauis decided to break it. "Gwaine and the knights visited, too. They were happy to see you weren't dead. Percival even brought you this blanket. I think he and Elyan made it. Gwaine wanted to bring ale, but Leon persuaded him to bring you some soup instead." Merlin held up the blanket to get a better look. It was, surprisingly, very well made in a quilt-like fashion. It was hard to imagine Percival, with his massive hands, stitching the tiny pieces of cloth together. Elyan was a bit easier to picture because of Gwen. But Gwaine cooking? Come on!

Merlin glanced over to the fireplace to see a small cauldron bubbling with stew. "It is actually very nice. I'm sure they got it from the kitchens, though. I have a feeling neither of them could cook for their lives. Do you feel up to eating some? I've had to poor broth down your throat the last week, so I'm sure something heartier might make your stomach settle." Merlin nodded. The old man got a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with a generous amount of hot soup.

The moment the lid was off the stew, a wonderful aroma made its way to Merlin's nose, making his stomach rumble in anticipation. Once he received the bowl, he scarfed down its contents. After another helping and a glass of water, he was satisfied. "I'll have to thank the knights next time I see them," he thought out loud. He yawned, a wave of drowsiness coming upon him.

"Hold on, Merlin. I need to change your bandages and rewrap your ribs. They are healing nicely, but I haven't checked you since yesterday because I was so busy." The physician out the necessary salves and bandages required for the routine bandage change. As he went to remove the bandages around Merlin's neck, he gasped. "Oh my word!" "What is it?"

"Take off your shirt and sit up." Confused at the strange request, Merlin did exactly as he was told while Gauis moved the large mirror in the corner and positioned it in front of Merlin so he could see himself. The entire left side of his body, his arm up to his wrist, and his neck was covered in black scale-like things. He couldn't breathe. So it was true. He _was_ cursed.

**A/N: Sorry im late updating! I went to the zoo with my crazy, screaming little sister who loved the lions, tigers, and elephants but was terrified of the mini ponies, cows, and fish. Plus, I tried to make French Fries which was a FAIL! Anyway, I hope you like it! Merlin will be back to work next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

There was a knock at the door. "Gauis? Can you let me in?"

"It's Arthur!" Merlin hissed to Gauis, throwing him an alarmed look. "He can't see me like this, not yet. What do I do?"

"Put on your shirt. Here," he said as he handed Merlin a long bandage. "Wrap it as best as you can. I need to hide the magic book before he comes in." Merlin did exactly as he was told. The only time he had trouble was when the bandage rubbed painfully against his neck wound. Arthur kept knocking.

"Ouch," he muttered, trying to keep quiet.

The knocking stopped as the King said, "Merlin? Are you awake? Gauis, come unlock the door, please."

"One moment, Sire," he replied as he put the magical herb book away. After he was finished and made sure Merlin's bandages covered his skin well, he went over to the door and unlatched it.

"Finally! I thought I'd be stuck knocking forever!" Arthur exclaimed as he walked into the messy physicians chambers and over to Merlin. The second he saw the grin on his manservant's face, it felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Immediately, Artuhr went into "banter-mode". "Well, I'm glad you finally decided to join us here, _Mer_-lin. I hope you enjoyed your break, because you won't be getting one for a long while."

Merlin gave a small, suppressed smile, glad that things were semi-normal now. "It's good to see you too, your Royal Pratness. Did you managed to get dressed by yourself in my absence? Or did you get help from _George _again?" he said with a smirk on his pale face.

Arthur huffed and crossed his arms. "Please _don't _remind me. If I have to hear one more brass joke, I might punch him in the face!" Merlin laughed at his expression, and was about to mock him further when Gauis stopped him.

"That's enough! I swear, you two act like children sometimes! Your Highness, if you will excuse us, Merlin needs to take a bath. I've already sent servants to fetch it just before he woke up. You can visit later."

"When will he be able to come back to work?" he asked.

"Most likely tomorrow, seeing as he is well enough to argue with you. He just can't do anything too strenuous because of his ribs. I'll send for you later. Now, out your go, Sire."

The physician led the young King to the door and closed it behind them. "Gauis, what about the curse? He seems fine to me. Maybe you were wrong."

"I don't think so. His entire left side is covered in this black scale-like thing. It could just be a rash from the poison, but I believe it is more than that. He was too embarrassed to let you see it now. You need to keep an eye on him tomorrow, ok?"

After getting of his slight shock from the news, he replied, "Of course. If you need anything, just tell me." The physician nodded as the monarch walked back to the throne room.

"Thank you Gauis," Merlin said as soon as his guardian returned. "I don't know what I'd do without you. Can I really go back to work tomorrow?"

"Of course," he said. "But first, you need a bath." Gauis went out of the room for a couple of minutes and came back with a couple of servants carrying heated buckets of water. Once they had left, Gauis set up a screen for Merlin to change behinerd. "Can you manage by yourself?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks, Gauis. Maybe it will help the, ah, 'skin condition'." As Merlin washed himself, he thought about what other changes my come. _Oh well, _he thought. _Maybe I can find a way to stop the transformations before they get out of hand. I don't want anything to change when others are around. That could be really, REALLY bad. _

**A/N: Sorry the ending stunk really bad. I decided to push him getting back to work until next chapter. The next chapter will most likely be up today! REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Merlin got ready for work. To be honest, he was excited to get back to serving the dollophead. It was boring being cooped up in the same room in bed all day (even though he was sleeping almost the entire time). His muscles were weak and sore from not moving, and he was eager to visit the knights and Gwen. And besides, for some odd reason, he felt fantastic and full of energy.

Luckily, the "rash" hadn't spread anymore, so no one would be able to see it as long as he kept his sleeves down and his neckerchief and bandages in place. His ribs were still sore, but a quick healing spell quickly made the pain dissipate completely. "I'm off to work, Gauis," he said after grabbing an apple from the basket.

"All right, Merlin," he replied, not looking up from his book. "Just take it easy today."

Merlin sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine! Stop worrying so much." He took a bite and left the room. On his way to Arthur's chambers, he picked up the Queen and King's breakfast from the kitchens. He decided he was going to visit the knights during lunch and thank them for their gifts. As he was thinking about this, he didn't see the other approaching servant and bumped into him.

"Watch it!" he said, suddenly consumed by anger. He almost dropped the food! _Can you believe this fool?_ he thought to himself, scowling.

"I apologize," said the servant, shocked at Merlin's mean reaction. He was sure he saw something change in Merlin's eyes for a moment.

Stunned at his rude behavior, he shook his head, and apologized. "No need to be sorry. I am the one at fault. I guess I'm just not myself today."

The other servant waved it off. "It's alright, Merlin. No harm done. Hey, it's good to see you back again," he said with a smile and walked away to do whatever chore he had been assigned to do.

_That was strange,_ the warlock thought as he continued on his journey to the Royal Chambers. He usually never snapped. Just deciding to blame it on stress or some other common cause, he opened the huge oak doors of the King's quarters. He sat the huge platter of food on the table and moved over to the window to draw back the curtains.

"Rise and shine, your Majesties! It's a lovely Monday! Or is a Tuesday? Oh well, up and at 'em!" he exclaimed.

"Merlin," Arthur grumbled, his face stuffed in his pillow. After hearing Merlin's voice, Gwen hopped out of bed and rushed to hug her newly recovered friend.

"Oh Merlin," she said, squeezing the life out of the warlock. "I was so worried about you! I visited you almost every day and you wouldn't even stir, I was so afraid I wouldn't see those lovely eyes of yours again! Don't you ever do that to me again, or I'll-"

"Gwen," Merlin interrupted breathlessly, "Too tight. Can't-breath."

"Oh!" she said, quickly letting go. "I'm sorry. I'm just so glad you are ok."

Merlin laid a gentle hand on the Queen's shoulder. "It's really good to see you too, Gwen. Gauis said you visited me while I was sleeping. Thank you."

"Don't you even mention it," she said, smiling brightly.

"Here, have some breakfast," he said while pulling out a chair for Guinevere. She sat down and Merlin fixed her a plate of fruit, cold ham, and bread with a glass of water, and she quickly, politely ate her food. After he had finished this task, Merlin rubbed his hands together in anticipation of his next, less pleasant job. "Now to wake up the prat."

He carefully made his way over to Arthur's bed side and poked him in the gut. Not wanted to get punched or hit, Merlin quickly ducked, but all the King did was groan and flip over so he was facing Merlin. Arthur cracked his eyes open to see Merlin's face smiling at him far too close to his own face. To avoid awkwardness, Arthur threw off the covers with a flourish, making the manservant back up.

"Merlin! What are you doing?" he said, pulling on a shirt.

"Umm, waking you up, My Lord?" he said with a shrug. "I got you your breakfast, but don't eat too much. We don't want to have to add any more holes to your belt, do we, _Sire_?"

Although he huffed and crossed his arms, he was glad to have Merlin back in is services. Not that he hated George or anything, but he was just that he was so dull. Merlin definitely knew how liven things up a bit and keep him on his toes.

"Just get me food, _Mer_lin," said Arthur. After kissing his wife, he sat down and waited for Merlin to give him his plate. Once he got his plate, he tucked into a large piece of meat.

"Merlin," he said through a full mouth. "After you help me get dressed, you need to do the usual things: polish armor, clean my chambers, and so on. No need to muck the stables today. Gauis said no heavy lifting or strenuous work. I'll have a stable hand do it."

_Thank you, Gauis! _He thought. Relieved of that extra job, he'd be able to visit the knights.

"All right, then. I'm ready to get dressed," said the Royal. "Get to it, Merlin."

**A/N: For the record, this chapter was almost ready last night. I had to babysit until 11 and I was SO tired when I got home. I hope you liked the chapter! Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

_ Finally, _thought Merlin excitedly as soon as he finished polishing the King's armor. _That was my last chore! I've got to put this up and then it's off to see then knights! _After stopping by the armory to put up the various weapons and armor, he made his way to the tavern. He knew they were there because the Round Table members often went there after work. Besides, Gwaine can only go a few days without a jug of ale or the company of a barmaid to satisfy him.

As he made his way to the Rising Sun, he saw a couple of noble knights ganging up on a servant in the ally.

"Eww, he smells like horse dung," said the first one.

"Yeah, looks like it, too!" said the other. Merlin recognized them as Sir Kay and Sir Gavvin, who used to be some of Athur's best friends before he matured into the kind man he is today.

"I think he needs a bath, don't you think, Gavvin?" The other knight stroked his beard as if contemplating the idea.

"I do think you are right, Kay. How about we wash him now?" The two large men began to stalk towards the scrawny stable boy, who was no older than sixteen. While Kay advanced from the front, frightening the boy, Gavvin went up behind and grabbed his arms. The boy began to thrash around wildly, fear evident in his eyes.

"Oh come on, old boy. It will be over in a minute," said Kay, an evil smirk forming on his face. He gestured to a dirty water trough. "Gavvin, please do the honors."

The bury knight smiled cruelly and began to push the younger man into the cold water. "Pl-please, don't! I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Shut up!" the knights replied, pushing him harder. Merlin decided he had had enough and intervened.

"Stop it! You can't push around people just because they are smaller than you," he said with confidence. He was the King's manservant. They might listen to him. But of course, he was wrong. The knights stopped and looked up.

Kay chuckled. "Well, look here. It's the Merlin, Arthur's _dog._ Thinks that just because he's close to the King he can boss us around."

"Yeah," Gavvin said, trying to sound clever. "You think you are so smart and tough? How about me and Kay teach you a lesson. That'll teach you to not stick your nose into other people's business."

Merlin, filled again with the rage from earlier, said in a soft but serious tone. "I don't want to hurt you. Just leave and we'll pretend this never happened."

The knights laughed. This just fueled his anger even more. The warlock clamped his fists together until his knuckles turned white, and he was shaking. Without saying a word, Gavvin released the poor boy, who stumbled as fast as he could back to his home.

"Let's settle this," sneered Kay, picking up a piece of wood, beating it against his hand as if it made him look more intimidating. Gavvin stood back so his cohort could do all the work. Merlin got into a ready position.

Kay rushed at him, swinging the piece of wood. To Merlin, it seemed as if time had slowed down. He guessed it was his magic doing it out of instinct. Kay was a little stunned, but quickly got over it and began swinging madly at Merlin, missing each time. Finally, he gave up on the piece of wood and began fighting with his fists, and Merlin easily dodged every one.

_Let's kick it up a notch, shall we? _said a little voice in his head. It sounded like Merlin, but it didn't feel like his own thoughts. Ignoring that fact, he listened to the voice through his rage. Merlin caught a hold of Kay's arm and twisted it back, putting him in a sort of lock. If Merlin pushed the knight's arm back any further, his shoulder would have been dislocated.

Seeing his partner's predicament, Gavvin joined in as well. He attempted to knock Merlin out from behind with Kay's forgotten piece of wood, but as he swung, Merlin ducked and swept his legs right out from beneath him so he landed on the ground with a big huff. Without letting go of Kay's arm, he pressed the heel of his boot into a pressure point (he didn't know how he knew, he just did) on Gavvin's back.

Using his free hand, he yanked back Kay's head and glared at him. "Are we done here?" The knight had a fearful and shocked look on his face, but he nodded rapidly. Merlin let go of his head and grabbed Gavvin's instead.

"What about you, pretty boy? Want to go to round two?" Gavvin's jaw dropped open and he pointed a shaking finger at Merlin's face.

"Y-your eyes!" he stuttered. Merlin was confused. What was wrong with his eyes? He dropped Gavvin's head into a puddle and looked at his appearance in the water trough.

To his surprise, his eyes were glowing red with slits instead of circles. At that moment, all the anger left him and his eyes turned back to normal. He released his hold on the knights and they scrambled to get away, but before they could leave, Merlin called to them.

"Oh, and boys?" they turned around, obviously afraid. It was amusing to Merlin to see such big men scared of a lanky manservant such as himself. "Let's keep this between us, shall we? And I better not catch you messing with anyone else, understood?" For good measure (although Merlin didn't consciously know he did it) his eyes flashed red again.

The knights nodded and scrambled away. Merlin looked at his fists. He knew magic wasn't responsible for him fighting like that. Although it unnerved him a little, it might give him an edge in upcoming battles. That way he didn't have to risk using magic all the time to protect Arthur. Besides, it did gain him respect with the knights. He would keep these knew "skills" to himself for the time being. _What could it hurt?_

~MERLIN~

The woman laughed maniacally as she watched the sorcerer accept his new-found "powers" through her scrying pool. This would make her job a lot easier. Once his transformation is complete, she would be in control of not only Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer of all time, but a whole army of nathair mórs to do her bidding.

"It won't be long now," she said to the sleeping beast beside her. "Once the young warlock performs the spell to release your kin from their prison, nothing will between me and the throne of Camelot. And as soon as I take of the most powerful kingdom known to mankind, gaining control over the rest of Albion should be a breeze. Magic will once again rule the lands and purge it of its mundane wickedness. The Once and Future King will never see it coming."

**A/N: I have to say, writing this chapter was AWESOME! Merlin was going Jackie Chan on them. I hope you enjoy it! Review**


	9. Chapter 9

After dusting himself off a bit, he walked into the tavern with a new found confidence. He quickly spotted Gwaine and the others in the corner, laughing. Elyan was the first to see him. He got the attentions of the knights and pointed to the front of the pub where Merlin was standing.

"Well, look who it is," he said with a smile. Gwaine immediately stood up and crossed the room, dodging barmaids carrying jugs of mead and platters of pork to reach his friend.

The knight grabbed Merlin and gave him a brotherly (and totally manly) hug. "Merlin! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes. How are you? You certainly look better." After looking him over for a minute, he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Almost too good, if you ask me," Percival spoke up.

"Yeah," said Leon, taking a sip of his ale. "What did Gauis give you? You look better than you did before the hunting trip… no offence."

Merlin just laughed nervously and rubbed his neck. "I don't know what you mean. I'm just glad I can get up and get back to work, that's all. Thanks for the soup And for the blanket, Percival and Elyan. I didn't know you could sow."

Leon shook his head. "Stop trying to change the subject. How did you recover so quickly?"

Merlin shrugged. "I guess I'm a fast healer. Now, who's up for a drink? I'm buying!"

Even though they were clearly not satisfied with that answer, they took it for now, both because they knew Merlin wouldn't tell them and because Merlin promised to pay for the next round. They took their seats and things began to cool down.

They listened to Gwaine tell stories of his adventures around various taverns and inns around Albion, had a couple of am wrestles (one of which Merlin actually beat Percival, but they put it down to the fact that they were all sort of drunk), and laughed as Gwaine tried and failed to get a date with a particularly pretty barmaid.

"Hey," he said, sauntering up to her, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Did I die? Because I'm looking at an angel, and my head hurts like I fell from a bloody horse." All of them, especially the maid, could not stop laughing at his stupidity. Gwaine, who was so drunk he was swaying, didn't get what was so funny. "What did I do?" This just increased the group's laughter and cause the barmaid to walk away, smiling.

It was around midnight when they left. Surprisingly, Merlin was not the only one completely drunk. Well, Leon was only a bit tipsy, but Merlin looked like he just got a full night of sleep. After helping Leon deposit the rest of the knights at their living quarters, he made his way back to the Physician's Chambers.

"_Merlin," _said a soft, feminine voice. "Hello?" he replied. After not receiving an answer for several seconds, he shrugged and continued on his way.

"_Merlin. I'm over here," _he heard again. The voice was coming from an ally. Slowly and cautiously, Merlin made his way over. Before he could reach it though, a black cat ran out, startling him. Thinking that he was just imagining the whole thing, he turned around a jogged up the stairs and into Gauis's room. Seeing that the physician was already asleep, he went straight up to his room and quickly fell asleep.

But it would seem that rest would escape him that night, for he had a dream. Actually, scratch that. It was _definitely_ a nightmare.

_Merlin was walking through the lower town, as he would do if he was running errands for Arthur or Gauis. The real Merlin had no control ver his dream self, so he opted to watch what he would do instead. Whatever he was doing must have been urgent because he was shoving his way carelessly through the sea of people. The townsfolk looked at him strangely, and some of them fearfully. He had no idea why._

_He was heading for the front gate when a group of guards blocked his way. There were probably ten in all._

"_Halt!" said the one in the front. "You are not authorized to leave this city, as you are under arrest for the practice of sorcery." Sorcery? How had they figured out? Was Arthur going to execute him? Merlin wanted his dream self to turn and run or maybe even submit to them so he could explain himself, but instead dream Merlin just began to boil with complete and utter rage._

_He charged the guards, using his magic to block every arrow or spear thrown at him. He kicked the first guard in the chest, sending him flying back into two others. The other seven made a circle around him with their swords ready, but with a flash of his eyes, they were thrown back and pinned to the ground along with the others._

"_Merlin!" a very angry, but sad voice called. He turned and saw Merlin and the knights running towards him, swords drawn. "What are you doing? Stop right now or I will not hesitate to kill you. You've cause enough pain and destruction today."_

_Dream Merlin laughed evilly, but it sounded more like a hiss. "You think you could kill _me _with those puny swords? I have more power in my little finger than you have in your entire body. I am Emrys, and I am invincible!" The real Merlin was appalled by his (or should he say his own) behavior. He would never betray Arthur like that…would he?_

_Arthur had a look of deep grief on his face. He held up his sword in front of Merlin. "What happened to you? Have you seen yourself lately?"_

_Merlin looked into the sword and was surprised to see a monster looking back at him. It took him a moment to realize it was himself. The entire left side of his face was covered in black scales, while the other half was deathly pale. His fingernails had transformed into long, dangerous talons. Sharp fangs protruded from his lips and his eyes…oh his eyes were glowing blood-red and had slits instead of circles for pupils. It wasn't the first time Merlin had seen those eyes, and it terrified him._

_Dream Merlin began to back up, mortified at what he had just seen. He was muttering, "What is happening to me?" over and over again._

_Arthur put away his sword and began to slowly walk towards the transformed warlock with his hands up. The knights also lowered their swords, but didn't put them away in case the sorcerer tried something. "Merlin," he said softly. "We can get you some help. You obviously aren't yourself. Please, let us help you." _

_He wanted so badly just to run to over to them and let them take him to Gauis where everything would be alright and he would get better, but deep down in his heart, he knew there was no way they could help him now. He had to do it himself. Instead of just turning and fleeing the city to find a cure for himself, though, he growled and got into a fighting stance._

"_There is only one who can help me, and you are not her. I'm sorry I have to do this, but it's the only way. Please forgive me." He lunged at Arthur, claws out and aimed at his throat, with a bloodlust so strong, it was intoxicating. The moment before Merlin reached the King, he woke up._

He sat up in his bed, panting and sweating. He took off his shirt and went over to the mirror. The rash was the same it had been yesterday. It hadn't spread. No fangs, no claws, no irrational blood-lust, and most thankfully, no red eyes. He fell back on his bed and continued to stare at the ceiling for about an hour before he fell asleep again, hoping that this dream would never come to pass.

**A/N: Now it's getting serious. Im sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was at a friend's house. HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE! I hope you guys have a great time with your family and friends as you celebrate this important holiday. Review.**


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning was awful. Because of his bad dream, he didn't get any rest and was really grumpy. His head ache and itchy rash didn't help either. Gauis gave him a pointed look when he slammed the door open to his room and walked briskly to the table, grabbing an apple and biting down on it angrily.

"Are you alright, Merlin?" He asked worriedly. "Has anything happened?" _Has the transformation gotten any worse? _Was the unasked question, but Merlin got the unspoken words.

"I'm fine," he snapped, scratching his arm furiously. "It's none of your business anyway." Gauis backed up, startled at his ward's behavior. He _never _acted like this unless something was seriously wrong. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

Merlin sighed, set down his apple, and placed his head in his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap, it's just I had a bad dream and didn't get much rest. I need to go get Arthur's breakfast." With that he stood up and made his way to the door.

Gauis knew that wasn't all and he needed to know what was going on with Merlin _now._ He had a feeling that if he waited any longer, something might go terribly wrong. He reached out and grabbed the young warlock's arm. "Merlin, I-"

All of the sudden Merlin grabbed his head as if in terrible pain, then snapped his head towards Gauis and hissed. In his surprise, Gauis let Merlin rip his arm away and head out the door, slamming it behind him. Now, the old physician was really worried about him. For just a moment, he swore he saw Merlin's eyes flash red and fangs in his mouth instead of canines. He prayed he was just seeing things.

~MERLIN~

_Can you believe him? Butting into my business like that. He sure has some nerve!_ thought Merlin angrily as he stomped his way to the kitchen. He snatched the platter of food and jug of water away from a startled looking servant girl. She had seen the manservant many times, but had never witnessed such anger and rudeness form him. _Something must have happened_, she thought, shakHe had to put aling of the feeling of dread that had overcome her.

For once, Merlin was early. Instead of letting the Royals rest, he barged into the room, set down their breakfast rather loudly, and pulled open the curtains without a word. Arthur groaned, obviously annoyed that he was missing about a half an hour's worth of sleep. Gwen turned over so the sun wouldn't hit her face.

"Merlin, you idiot. We are still sleeping. Come back later," he groaned into his pillow.

"Please, Merlin? We didn't go to bed until rather late last night," said Gwen, sitting up and yawning.

Merlin crossed his arms and huffed. "Fine, _you're Majesties,"_ he said mockingly, but in a cruel way, different than the banter the King and servant usually shared. He made a quick exit and slammed the door behind him, startling the Queen and King into full alertness.

"What was wrong with Merlin?" asked Gwen, surprised that Merlin had snapped at them. Arthur was even more confused than his Queen. Merlin _never _used that tone of voice with him before. _Never. _It was almost if Merlin hated him and wanted nothing more than to ring his neck. Where was the normal "I-love-the-world-and-everything-in-it" stupid, grinning Merlin?

"I have no idea," said Arthur, putting an arm around his wife's shoulder. "But I intend to find out."

~MERLIN~

Half an hour later, the steaming Merlin returned. His temper had cooled, but he was still upset. He had no idea why he was so angry. He just wanted to rip of the heads of anyone who got in his way, which was totally _not _a normal thought for him. In fact, it was so unusual, Merlin should have gone straight to Gauis and told him about his dream and recent changes, but for some reason, he found that he couldn't.

It was almost if something else was planting these thoughts and feelings in his head and using all the emotions swirling inside him to fuel his rage. Maybe he should tell Gauis later, before it got worse. But there was that little whisper again in the back of his mind telling him otherwise. _Come on, Merlin! Why would you want to tell that old fart? He'd just try to change this new, improved you back into that weak farm boy. Do you really want that?_

He couldn't dwell on this any longer, because there, arms crossed and pokerfaced, was Arthur looking like he had been waiting for Merlin to show up. He saw the Royals had already eaten and Gwen was most likely in her own quarters getting ready for the day.

"Yes, Sire? Do you need something?" he said in a rather indifferent tone.

"What is your problem? Not only did you disrespect me, but you were down-right rude to Gwen. I should put you in the stocks for banging the door open alone. What have you to say for yourself-"

"Are you done yet?" interrupted Merlin, pretending to pick dirt out of his fingernails.

"Excuse me?" asked Arthur disbelievingly.

"Are you done yet? Wow, I knew were dumb, but I didn't know you were deaf." Merlin began to scratch his chest vigorously.

Arthur was furious. What was going on with Merlin? He reached out to grab his shoulders to, hopefully, shake some sense into him, but the moment he touched Merlin, he was thrown across the room and into the wall. _That was magic! _After getting his bearings, he saw Merlin kneeling on the floor, grabbing his head as if it might explode, muttering to himself.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening, get out of my head, stop it, _leave me alone," _he whispered over and over again. Ignoring his manservant's obvious display of magic for the time being, Arthur quietly crept over to Merlin.

"Merlin?" he whispered, not daring to touch him after what happened last time. "Merlin?" he said, this time a little louder. But unbeknownst to him, Merlin was fighting an internal battle.

His head was throbbing so hard, he couldn't think straight. The voices of his friends were yelling at him so loudly his ears hurt even though he was pretty sure it was in his head. _"Come on, Merlin, just give in!_" "_You are so weak. You call yourself Emrys? My grandmother could beat you with her eyes closed!" "I have more sense than you even when I'm drunk." "No one cares about you, you know. We just keep you around for the laughs." "You will never be my friend. I could never be friend with a common servant like you." _The voices kept going, saying hurtful phrases in his head.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. He threw back his head and screamed, letting all his anger and pain fuel his magic. The moment he yelled, the entire room was filled with intense winds. The fire flew high, catching the bed on fire, and the wind fueled it so it went even higher and hotter. The earth shook, and Arthur fell, unable to keep his footing due to the wind and the earthquake.

Outside, a thunderstorm brewed and lightning lit up the sky, all the while, Merlin was still screaming.

"MERLIN!" Arthur yelled, praying to God that Merlin would stop before he hurt himself or someone else. Somehow, a goblet had made its way over to Arthur. He gripped it and chucked it at Merlin, inwardly laughing at the irony of it. Miraculously, it managed to hit Merlin in the head, and everything went calm. The storm clouds receded, the winds stopped, and even the fire burned out, leaving a scorched bed behind.

Arthur made his way over to his friend. Merlin was lying on the ground, his face still hidden from sight.

"Merlin?" he said softly so he wouldn't cause another "episode". The sorcerer groaned and lifted his head of off the ground rubbing his temple. "Merlin? Are you alright? Look at me." Merlin slowly turned his face so Arthur could see his face. The King immediately gasped and backed up.

Half of his face was covered in reflective black scales, the other side was as white as a ghost. Fangs protruded from his mouth and his eyes were as red as freshly squeezed wine.

"Arthur! Are you alright? I felt the- oh my goodness!" Gwen said running into the room. She stopped as soon as Merlin turned his head to look at her. Her hand flew to her mouth in terror and she ran over to Arthur. "Merlin, what happened?" she said in a shaky voice.

"What?" he said wearily, not aware of the transformation.

Arthur still couldn't speak. He pointed a shaking finger at Merlin's face. Confused, the manservant reached up to feel a rough material covering part of his face and something sharp poking his lips. He gasped as he realized that his dream had come true.

He stood up shaking, hands still feeling his face. "N-n-no," he stuttered, horrified at the monster he had become. "The dream is coming true." He turned and ran out the door, trying to cover his face. He was so preoccupied with himself and the fear he would be executed if he didn't get away, he didn't hear the worried shouts of his friend and King behind him, begging him to come back.

**A/N: Wow, this was the longest chapter I've ever written. I started school back today and I'm not sure of I'll be able to post every day, but I'll try. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted there to be a little angst and rudeness from Merlin because it was so OOC, Arthur would only need half a brain to realize something was wrong. Anyway, have a good week. REVIEW!**


End file.
